Outboard motor



Sept 8. 1925.

J. A. MOULD OUTBOARD MOTOR Origifial Filed March s 1933 45 l/nivama)Joint INVENTOR.

M M; 'a

. ATTORNEYS Improvements in Outboard Motors, which the following is aspecification.

' the general Object tive' connection between as possible.

, in a vertical'plane Patented Sept. 8, 1925.

or MILWAUKEE, wrsconsm, Assmnoa 'ro nvrnnunn moron,

James A. MOULD,

U 1,553,183 PATENT OFFICE.

COMPANY, OF MILWAUKEE, WI SCONSII T, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN.OUTBOARD MO'IOR.

Original application filed March 5,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES A. MoULn, a citizen of the United States,residin at Milwaukee, county of Milwaukee, and tate of Wisconsin,

This invention relates to improvements in outboard motors, and moreparticularly to steering and reversing mechanism therefor.

I This ap lication is a division of Iii E applifiled a cation rial No.622,740, rch 5,

In common with the invention disclosed in the application above referredto, it is of this invention to provide positive means for locking thetiller handle in connection with the drive shaft housing during ordinaryoperation of the device, while permitting the drive shaft housing to befmed from the tiller for separate rotation for reversing purposes.Heretofore the torflueof the driving connections to the prope e keep thedrive shaft housing in abutting relation pith some part connected withthe tiller.. en the engineis at rest in such a device the torquereferred tois no longer in existence, and as a consequence, steeringbecomes impossible. It is the purpose of the present invention dirigibleparts of the outboard motor irrespective of,whet her the engine is inopera, "tionor not. v

' The more particular object of theinven- .tion claimed in thisdivisional. application is the provision of a device in which a verysimple" positively acting releasable mechanisin is employed Said,-. theconnections between 'tll& tiller and suclimechanism being direct and assimple It isa the ,tiller grip and the locking mechanism for thed-irigible parts,

while permitting venting injury to the operator upon occa-' sions whenthe motor tilts.

In'the drawings:

[ motor, embodying this invention.

re '1 is'an elevation of an "outboard have invented new and usefuldisclosed in' the 1,001,260, August 22, 1911. The device instanding ofthe present invention, have r has been relied upon to tomaintaina osi-"the tiller an the bracket may transom of a boat with a clampingpressure.

= Immediately beneathcrankecase 10 is a for the purposes afore- 'andhereinafterto The casing 22 is preferably. secured by bolts P v furtherobject of this. I invention to provide for the transmission of nbvementbetween the tiller, grip /to oscillate for the purposelof prethetwo-part bearing sleeve' of the tillerv and latch mechanism forming theparticular subject'matter of this application.

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughoutthev several views. v

4 The outboard-motor which is shown complete in Figure 2 may be of thegeneral t pe patent to Evinrude, o.

eludes-a crank case 10, cylinders 11, and fly wheels 12. The fly wheelis mounted u n a crank shaft 9' which leads downwar l y, as disclosed insaid patent," through a dirigible shaft, housing 13 toa submersible gearhousing 14, wherein suitable gearingconnects. the crank shaft with apropeller shaft upon which the pro eller 15 is mounted. Constructionaldetails which are fully shown in the Evinrude patent named above, andwhich are unnecessary to an underbeen omitted from the drawings hereinin order to simplify the disclosure.

The bracket 16 is adapted to support the entire motor including theinternal com-- bustion engine, propulsion mechanism from the stern orboat or. other small craft. The bracket vis provided with spaced armsdriving connections, and

transom of a row 17 and 18; the latter of which is elongated to extenddownwardly outside of the transom to apointadjacent' the water line. -Asetscrew 19 in theshorter arm 17 of the be turned up to engage thecasing 22 which houses latch mechanism forming an important part of thisinvention H be described in detail.

to the crank case 10, or is otherwise made fast thereto A two-partbearing sleeve 24 supportsfor oscillation the latch casing 22. A pintle31 connects bracket 16 with one part of sleeve 24, thereby .providing ahinged joint-permitting the motor to tilt;

I flange 33 of thebearing sleeve is in supporting relation to the latchI The peripheral casing '22.' bus, the bearing between sholder 3 1;, andthe peripheral flange 33 of 4' 24 carries the entire weight of theengine and propulsion mechanism. Upon this hearing the engine andpropulsion mechanism may be 110 ing the tiller with the dirigibletubular housing 13, and the attached submersible oscillated asa unituponthe axis of crank shaft 9 for steering purposes. The vdirigibletubular housing 13 for the downwardly extended crank shaft 9 is rigidlyconnected with the submersible gear housor fins which are preferablyintegral with the submersible gear housing 14 and comprise; a rudder'dirigible with said housing. 1' v The latch mechanism releasablyconnectgea'r housing 14 and rudder 35 will now be described. a

Thediri ible tubular housing 13 extends upwardly t rough the sleeve23which forms an integral" part of the latch casing 22. The

annulus 36 disposed within the latch casing 22 is secured to shafthousin 13. This annulus carries upon; its perip iery a pair ofsymmetrically disposed radially projecting lugs 29 with which means isengageable to effect the latching operation.

Formed integrally with latch housing 22 is the bearing sleeve 40 which,in the normal centered position of thelatch housing, is disposed at oneside thereof and projects forwardly thereof, as is clearly shown inFigure 2. Rotatable in bearing 40 is a shaft 41, upon the end of whichis supported a'worm 42 preferably having square threads 43 as indicated.These threads preferably project into. very close proximity to theannulus 36 so that the lugs 29 carried by such annulus cannotbe rotatedby the Y annulus past the worm 42 without meshing with and passingbetween the threads.

' 'The"bearing member 40 terminates in a pair of spaced ears 44 and 45from which 'the aligned A pivot pins 46 projecting inwa'rdly to carrythesleeve" extension 47 for pivotal movement about the horizontal axis.

represented by said pins. The'sleeve extension 47 rotatably supports thetiller proper designated by 'reference'character 48 and provided at 49with the usual hand grip. The tiller proper comprises a rod or shaftwhich is rotatable in sleeve extension 47 and is movable therewith, in avertical plane for oscillation about pins 46. The sleeve 47, however, issecured by said ears against rotation, whereas the tiller 48 may berotated and is in universal connection at 49 with shaft 41.

A suitable set screw 50 may be threaded into casin member 22 forengagement with the end of shaft 41 to force the screw 42 axially intoengagement with the end of bearing member 40, thereby to limit thepossible end play of such shaft and to hold the universal oint in acentered "relation to the horizontal axis represented by pivot pins 46.

It will be noted particularlythat the tiller, in its normal position, isin axial alignment with the worm or screw 43 which comprises the latch.Rotation of the latch, therefore, is accomplished ,without the use ofintermediate connections such as those employed in the parentapplication above referred to of. which this is a division. The

direct connection between the tiller and the latch results in greateconomy of manufacture and in a simplified construction.

In operation, one-of the lugs 29 will normally be engaged by worm 43 inthe manner indicated in Figure 2. The threads 43 contacting said lugupon opposite sides thereof will obviously serve as a positive lock forengaging the tiller-oscillatory casing member 22 withthe shaft housing13, whereby to transmit to the shaft housing and related parts allmovements of the tiller irrespective of whether or not the engine isoperative.

When it is desired to reverse the direction of operation of the outboardmotor the tiller handle is rotated whereby to transmit rotative movementdirectly to the rotary latch or worm 43. By such rotative movement thelug 29 which is engaged by the worm is fed through the worm betweenthreads 43 and is ultimately delivered from engagement by said threads.Immediately upon its delivery in this manner the torque developed by theengine and the drive to the propeller will cause the shaftwhousing l3and annulus 36 and other parts connected therewith to rotateapproximately 180 until the other of lugs 29 contacts with the threads43 of the Worm and brings the shaft housing and related parts to rest.If the lug strikes an inclined portion of threads 43'the impact may besufficient to cause the worm to rotate slightly to receive andpositively to lock the lugs. Otherwise it may be necessary for theoperator, upon feeling the impact, to rotate the worm slightly until thelug has been fed into thethreads of the worm to a position correspondingto the position of lug 29, as indicated in Figure 2. In such a positionthe propeller will be in.the

full line position in which it is shown in,

sections 41 and 48-is useful only where the said mechanism for therelease of said parts motor is of the tiltable variety, in whichoscillation occurs about a transverse horizontal axis to permit thesubmerged parts of the motor to swing upwardly when a submerged obstacleis encountered thereby; When the motor tilts as aforesaid, arigidltiller handle will be oscillated into contact with the rear seatof the boat to which the motor is attached and serious injury to thehand ot-the operator might result. In the constuction herein illustratedthe motor is free to tilt with respect to the tiller, due to theuniversal joint in the tiller and to the horizontal pivot by which thebearing 47 is mounted. This arrangement transmits to the steering partsof the motor all movements of the til ler in a horizontal plane whileleaving the tiller free to swing about the axis of pins 46 in a verticalplane. Thus, when the motor tilts the hand of the operator will not beforced against the seat and nevertheless a positive connection will bemaintained through the universal joint between the grip portion 49 lotthe tiller'and the worm or latch member.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination with anoutboard motor having rotatably mounted dirigible parts, of a. manuallyoperable shaft adapted for connection with said parts for steeringpurposes, and latch mechanism, directly connected with said shaft and orative releasably to engage said shaft positively with one of saidparts.

2. The combination in an outboard motor having rotatably mounteddirigible parts, of latch mechanism mounted for oscillation co-axiallwith said parts, a manually operable sha t directly connected with saidlatch mechanism, and complementary latch mechanism connected with one ofsaid parts and adapted for positive interoonnectlon with saidoscillatory latch mechanism, said first mentioned latch mechanism beingformed for releasable positive engagement with said complementary latchmechanism upon the rotation of said shaft.

3. The combination in an outboard motor having rotatably mounteddirigible parts, of

a controlling device for said parts supported for oscillation co-axiallytherewith and incasing about an eluding a latch casing, latch mechanismsupported for non-restricted rotation in said axis substantially normalto the axis of rotation of said parts, and adapted upon rotation toengage said parts positively and during its continued rotation in thesame direction subsequently to release said arts, and a manuallyoperable shaft directly connected with .sai latch mechanism andprojecting therefrom substantially upon' the axis of movement thereof,whereby to 'be adapted to actuate without requiring intermediate motiontransmitting connections. 1

4. In a device of the character described, the combination with therotatably mounted dirigible parts of an outboard motor, of a headcarried by said parts and provided with lugs projecting radially, acasing mounted for oscillation co-axially with said parts, a shattjournaled in said casing for with and adapted releasably to engage saidlugs 5. In a device of the character described, the combination with therotatably mounted dirigible parts of an outboard motor, of a headcarried by said parts and provided with lugs projecting radiall a casinmounted for oscillation coaxially with sai parts, -a shaft journaled insaid casing for rotative movement/about its own axis, said shaft beingdisposed substantially tangentially with-reference to the path ofmovement of said lugs, and latch mechanism mounted on said shaft andmovable therewith and releasably to engage said lugs, said mechanismincluding members adapted to engage each lug upon opposite sidesthereof, whereby positively to look said cas ing to said head. i

6. In a device of the character described, the combination withrotatably "mounted dirigible parts of an outboard motor, or a headconnected with said parts and provided with a radially projecting lug, alatch casing supported for oscillation co-axially with said head, andlatch mechanism comrising a worm mounted insaid casing for intermeshingenga ement with said In 1 7. In a device 0 the character descri d, thecombination with rotatably mounted dirigible parts of an outboard motor,of a head connected with said parts and provided with a radiallyprojecting lug, a latch casing supported for oscillation co-axially withsaid head, and latch mechanism comprising a worm mounted in said casingfor mtermeshing engagement with said lug, together with a manuallyengageable member operatively connected with said casing and said wormfor controllin the oscillation of said casing and the rotation of saidworm.

8. In a device of the character described, the combination withrotatably mounted dirigible parts of an outboard motor, of a headconnected with said parts and provided with a radially projecting lug, alatch casing supported for oscillation co-axially with said head, andlatch mechanism comrising a worm mounted in said casing for intermeshingengagement with said lug,

9. An outboard motor including the combination with a memberrotatablyadjustable for steering and reversing purposes and provided with aradially projecting lug, of a tiller rotatable upon its axis, and latchmeans rotatable with said tiller for positively engaging said lug uponopposite sides, said means being operable by the rotation of said tillerto a lug releasing position.

10. In an outboard motor the combination with a member rotatablyadjustable for steering and reversing purposes and bodily adjustableupon a transverse axis, of bodily rotatable latch mechanism adapted tobe releasably engaged with said member and connected for bodily movementtherewith, a tiller connected with said latch mechanism and having agrip portion independently adjustable vertically, and means operativelyconnecting said latch mechanism and said tiller for manually rotatingsaid latch mechanism for the release ofsaid member.

ll. In an outboard motor the combina- I tion with a member rotatablyadjustable for steering and reversing purposes, of lugs carried by saidmember, a casing enclosing the portion of said member which carries saidlugs, a screw-threaded device rotatably mounted in said casing andadapted to act upon said lugs, a bearing sleeve integral with saidcasing and extending outwardly therefrom, said sleeve comprising twoportions hinged upon a transverse horizontal axis, and a shaft connectedWith said screwthreaded device and extending through said sleeve andprovided with a universal joint aligned with the axis upon which saidsleeve is hinged.

12. An outboard motor including the combination with a member rotatablyadjustable for steering and reversing purposes, of a radially projectinglug upon said member, a tiller rotatable upon its axis and universallyjointed intermediate its ends, a bearing sleeve bodily movable about theaxis upon which said member is adjustable and provided with journalsupon each side of said universal joint, said sleeve being hinged formovement upon one axis passing through said universal joint but not uponanother, and a latch mechanism connected to said tiller and bodilymovable with said tiller sleeve and adjustable by the rotation of saidtiller to and from a position for engagement with a lug upon saidmember.

JAMES A. MOULD.

(if) i

